The U.S.-led offensive to liberate the Iraqi city of Mosul from the so-called Islamic State entered its second month on Thursday.

Various forces have penetrated areas on the outskirts on the city in the past few weeks but are still facing resistance from ISIS fighters, who have controlled Mosul for two years.

The capture of Mosul has destroyed a once-vibrant city, and the offensive has only compounded the desecration. ISIS reportedly executed more than 200 people recently and has used tens of thousands of people as human shields against advancing Iraqi forces, the United Nations said.

Photographer Chris McGrath captured snapshots of the city using the panoramic feature on an iPhone 6. The black-and-white images reflect the tragic toll war takes on landscapes. Although 1 million people are still believed to be trapped inside the city, the photos reflect the desolation and emptiness that are a product of countless airstrikes.

Chris McGrath via Getty Images

A Peshmerga soldier checks passports at a checkpoint on a road leading to Mosul on Nov. 6, 2016, in Debaga, Iraq.

Chris McGrath via Getty Images

An image of the Virgin Mary is seen placed at a destroyed church in the newly liberated town of Bartella on Nov. 7, 2016, in Bartella, Iraq.

Chris McGrath via Getty Images

Peshmerga fighters buy snacks from a makeshift store at a checkpoint on the road to Mosul on Nov. 7, 2016, in Bartella, Iraq.

Chris McGrath via Getty Images

Soldiers are seen at a checkpoint on a road leading to Mosul on Nov. 7, 2016, in Bartella, Iraq.

Chris McGrath via Getty Images

Blast walls protect a Peshmerga checkpoint on a road leading to Mosul on Nov. 7, 2016, in Bartella, Iraq.

Chris McGrath via Getty Images

Faces of characters from a biblical scene painted on the side of a church have been defaced by Islamic State militants during their occupation of the predominantly Christian village of Bartella, which was recently retaken by Iraqi forces on Nov. 7, 2016, in Bartella, Iraq.

Chris McGrath via Getty Images

This deep trench is designed to stop suicide vehicles from attacking a checkpoint next to a road leading to Mosul on Nov. 7, 2016, in Bartella, Iraq.

Chris McGrath via Getty Images

An Assyrian soldier from the Nineveh Protection Unit walks past a destroyed ISIS sign in the middle of the road on Nov. 8, 2016, in Qaraqosh, Iraq.

Chris McGrath via Getty Images

A destroyed vehicle on a road leading to Mosul on Nov. 9, 2016, in Al Qayyarah, Iraq.

Chris McGrath via Getty Images

People wait on the roadside to be let through a Peshmerga checkpoint on Nov. 10, 2016, in Al Qayyarah, Iraq.

Chris McGrath via Getty Images

A rooftop outpost is seen under smoke filled skies from burning oil wells set on fire by fleeing ISIS members on Nov. 10, 2016, in Al Qayyarah, Iraq.

Chris McGrath via Getty Images

Mortars taken from ISIS stockpiles by the Iraqi army are displayed at the Iraqi Army Armoured Ninth Division base on Nov. 13, 2016, in Qaraqosh, Iraq.

Chris McGrath via Getty Images

A general view of the burnt landscape scorched by airstrikes and covered in ash and oil from burning oil wells set on fire by fleeing ISIS members on Nov. 10, 2016 in Al Qayyarah, Iraq.

Chris McGrath via Getty Images

A damaged cross at the Iraqi Army Armoured Ninth Division base on Nov. 13, 2016, in Qaraqosh, Iraq.

Chris McGrath via Getty Images

A destroyed building on a road leading to Mosul on Nov. 13, 2016, in Mosul, Iraq.

Chris McGrath via Getty Images

A machine used to dig ISIS tunnels is seen at the Iraqi Army Armoured Ninth Division base on Nov. 13, 2016, in Qaraqosh, Iraq.

Chris McGrath via Getty Images

A destroyed vehicle is seen on a road leading to Mosul on November 14, 2016 in Ba'ashiqah, Iraq.

Chris McGrath via Getty Images

Abandoned cars are seen in a field on the side of a road leading to Mosul on November 15, 2016 in Mosul, Iraq.

Chris McGrath via Getty Images

Humvees from the Iraqi Army Armoured Ninth Division are seen on a desert road leading to Mosul on November 15, 2016 in Mosul, Iraq.

Chris McGrath via Getty Images

A man is seen walking on a destroyed street leading to Mosul on November 15, 2016 in Mosul, Iraq.

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